Fluent

How to spell fluent

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce fluent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fluent mean?

1. adjectiveAble to speak or write a language smoothly, easily, and accurately.

Fluent in a sentence

• After two years abroad she became fluent in Spanish.

• The job advert asked for a candidate who was fluent in both French and German.

Where does fluent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin verb fluere, which literally meant 'to flow', and its present participle fluens, fluentis, 'flowing'. English adopted it around the turn of the seventeenth century, and at first 'fluent' could describe anything that flowed or ran smoothly, including liquids and even time. The sense narrowed to its now familiar meaning of speech and language that runs smoothly and easily, as if words were pouring out without effort. The same fluere root flows through a whole family of English words, including 'fluid', 'influence' (an inward flowing), 'affluent' (flowing toward, hence wealthy), and 'fluctuate'. Knowing that the core is flu- 'flow' helps fix the spelling: it is fluent, not 'fluant'.

How the word is built

• flu- (from Latin fluere: to flow)
• -ent (adjective suffix: doing or being)